


The Beginning

by alistairweekend



Series: Multi-Warden!AU [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Multiple Wardens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3454910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistairweekend/pseuds/alistairweekend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The meeting between Nialiss Mahariel and Leah Tabris.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning

The world outside of the Brecilian Forest was big. That was Nialiss’ first impression of the scenery surrounding her on the road to Ostagar. Big, and lonely.

When she was first taken away from her clan — yes, taken away; Duncan had been forced to resort to knocking the stubborn girl out  _twice_  to first put an end to her kicking and screaming, then to prevent her from running back to the forest — Nialiss was bitter and wanted to make sure everyone knew it. If she didn’t outright ignore whatever attempts Duncan made at conversation, she spat her replies and wouldn’t meet his gaze. Any travelers they met on the road were sure to receive nothing but icy glares from her unsettling pink eyes.

But as their journey continued, Nialiss began to notice the loneliness. All her life she had had her clan by her side; there was always someone to impress, always someone to tell her she did a good job showing those  _shems_  how the Dalish felt. Now, there was no one but Duncan, a  _shem_  himself. She had obviously impressed him somehow when they had first met, but she didn’t know how or why, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to try and do so again.

Nonetheless, after her realization her temper was subdued somewhat. She found herself asking Duncan questions, the first of which was, “What  _is_  a Grey Warden, anyway?” He had seemed surprised, and then he had laughed before answering. The amused response prickled Nialiss but she didn’t snap.

They arrived at Ostagar what seemed like a century later, and Nialiss was exhausted. King Cailan himself greeted them at the gates. An impudent comment about not having to bow to any human lord was on the tip of her tongue, but a withering look from Duncan caused her to bite it back, instead muttering about how the journey was long and she was tired, and therefore wasn’t in the mood to socialize. Duncan didn’t seemed entirely pleased by that either, but he let the matter go by talking to the king for her.

After Cailan left, Duncan took Nialiss aside to instruct her on what she was to do next. “Now, we must prepare for the Joining.”

“A hot meal might be nice, first,” Nialiss grumbled.

Duncan chuckled at that, catching her off-guard. She eyed him suspiciously, trying to ignore the seed of  _something_  nestled in her heart that wasn’t hatred towards the man. “Don’t worry, dear girl, there will be plenty of time for that. In any case, there is another Grey Warden in the camp by the name of Alistair. He is to help you with your preparations. Seek him out when you have the chance.”

Nialiss turned up her nose ever-so-slightly. “Are there any other recruits aside from me?” she asked, making an effort to not sound too interested.

“As a matter of fact, there are three other people that will be taking part in your initiation,” Duncan confirmed, nodding. When he didn’t elaborate, Nialiss raised an eyebrow, but all he did was smile in such a way that she was certain he was teasing her. “I’m not telling you who they are, though. Find out for yourself. Now, if you have no more questions, I’ll see you by the bonfire later tonight.” With another smile, he inclined his head in a goodbye, and walked away.

Nialiss let out a long, loud sigh. She looked one way, then the other, before deciding to trace Duncan’s steps and cross the bridge.

She spent a while exploring the camp. There were more humans than she had ever seen in her life, and if the small talk Nialiss overheard was to be believed, there were even more down in the valley. Nialiss felt small, and it wasn’t a pleasant sensation. Old emotions of anger and hatred bubbled within her at the sight of each  _shem_ , but she knew it would do no good to act on them – if nothing else, she was laughably outnumbered.

Alistair was nowhere to be found, and Nialiss didn’t feel like asking a  _shem_  where to find him. So instead she wandered and people-watched. At one point she spotted another elf; a skinny, ginger-haired boy who ran all over the place. Nialiss caught up to him and awkwardly attempted to strike a conversation, but the boy informed her that he was a messenger and would be whipped if he was caught slacking. Nialiss was taken aback. She had heard of the humans treating her kind with disdain, but she had never imagined that elves were still practically slaves outside of the forest!

Her shock was only enforced when she went to talk with the quartermaster. He mistook her for a servant and shouted at her about some suit of armor, and it took all Nialiss had not to physically assault him. She left only after she had the chance to berate him.

The sun was steadily sinking in the sky, and with a nervous twinge in her stomach Nialiss remembered Duncan’s instructions. But she still had no idea where to look for Alistair.

She began to pick up her pace, but as she walked her worry morphed into resentment. Huffing impatiently, Nialiss found a small corner in between some log structures and sat, pulling her knees up to her chin and casting a baleful gaze out onto the busy camp.

“Excuse me,” a voice came from the side several moments later. “Can I ask you what you’re doing there?”

Nialiss turned her head, the words  _“shove off!”_  about to leave her mouth, but she restrained herself at the sight of her disturber. An elven woman stood there, a mix of reservation and curiosity in her green eyes as she looked upon Nialiss. Her hands were behind her back and her legs pressed together, giving her an unassuming appearance despite the leather armor she wore. She was the first elf Nialiss had seen at Ostagar carrying weapons of any sort, and the surprise was enough to stall her. Averting her eyes, she muttered “What does it look like?”

The other elf was caught off-guard by Nialiss’ curt response and faltered, going silent for several long seconds. Then she seemed to compose herself and spoke again: “Are… Are you Dalish?”

Nialiss’ pale eyes snapped back to the stranger once more, trailing up until she got a better look at the other woman’s face, easy to see thanks to her dark hair being pulled back in a short ponytail. Her green eyes, sitting atop a long, slender nose, revealed hesitance but also curiosity. Overall she seemed amiable, if a bit shy.

After she took in this information, Nialiss sniffed. “Yeah, I’m Dalish,” she admitted, resisting the urge to touch her vallaslin as though to make sure it was still there. “What of it?”

“Oh, I just – uh,” the woman stammered, blinking. “I’ve… never seen a Dalish before, is all.”

Nialiss stared at her steadily, letting the moment drag on into awkwardness.

The dark-haired elf pursed her lips, a flash of frustration crossing her face, then sighed. “Are you the newest recruit, then?” Clearly this was the question she had intended on asking from the start, as she took a deep breath and became noticeably calmer.

“Suppose so.”

Abruptly, the woman beamed. “Ah, I’m so glad you’re an elf!” she blurted.

A white eyebrow raised on Nialiss’ part.

“We’re going to be the first elves the Grey Wardens have seen for a long time, from what I’ve heard. I was afraid I was going to be alone!”

Unsure how to reply, Nialiss remained silent.

“Duncan told me to go find another Warden here in camp named Alistair,” the other elf went on. “I take it you were told to do the same but haven’t found him yet. Why don’t we go together?” An outstretched hand extended towards Nialiss. “My name is Leah, by the way.”

“I’m… Nialiss,” Nialiss told her, gripping the gentle hand with uncertainty.

Leah helped Nialiss stand, and smiled. “Nice to meet you. I hope we can become friends.”


End file.
